Seaside towns saw the biggest uptake, with a 375 per cent increase in flora and fauna businesses in Southampton.

Fiona McSwein, chief customer officer at Simply Business, said: “The benefits of gardening are spreading from the grassroots upwards, now with small businesses, including florists, small garden centres and nurseries, embracing the trend.”

But one of the biggest players in the gardening sector seems not to have benefited from the rising popularity of the pursuit.

The Sunday Telegraph reported yesterday that Wyvedale Garden Centres had to be propped up by its owner Terra Firma, after it came close to breaching its banking covenants.

There were also calls from farmers this weekend ahead of the Chelsea Flower Show to ensure consumers buy more British flowers as it emerged that just one in ten flowers bought in the UK are grown at home.